Jeffrey Herlings takes a moto win in Arco di Trento
Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing has won his first MXGP moto of this season in round four of the World Championship in Arco di Trento, Italy.
Less than a week after a bustling and busy Grand Prix of Switzerland at Frauenfeld on Easter Monday MXGP made the short trip south to Arco di Trentino at the foot of the Dolomites in northern Italy into and into the compact hard-packed facility of Pietramurata. Round four took place at the scenic but tight and bumpy site that has been a mainstay facility on the MXGP calendar for ten years. The venue welcomed another strong crowd for the second of two rounds on Italian soil on the 2023 slate and in a bright, sunny climate.
On Saturday and across a rough and slick terrain (of a course that had been reversed compared to previous years) Jeffrey Herlings rode to 7th position in the RAM Qualification Heat while Andrea Adamo and Liam Everts captured 3rd and 5th respectively in the MX2 outing.
At the launch of MXGP Herlings was desperately unlucky to get stuck behind the falling Romain Febvre in the first turn of the first moto. It meant the Dutchman had to work his way back from the rear of the pack to take 9th. In the second race ‘The Bullet’ rode superbly to chart a course from the mid-top ten to the lead and seized his first checkered flag of the campaign. The 9-1 was enough for the third step of the rostrum. #84 is 3rd in the world championship.
MXGP regroups for round five in a fortnight. The Grand Prix of Portugal at Agueda, south of Porto, is the first of two Iberian dates with the Spanish GP at Arroyomolinos, close to Madrid happening a week later.
Jeffrey Herlings, 9th and 1st for 3rd overall in MXGP: “In the first moto I had a good start but I think Romain’s front wheel washed and I just went into him. Second moto I started around 8th-10th but then I pushed ‘Beast’ mode. Being defensive has not always been working. So, I thought ‘let’s go back to the old Jeffrey’ and push for it: I showed what I am capable of. We lost a few points this weekend but I hope I can make them up again in Portugal in a couple of weeks.”
Results MXGP Trentino 2023
1. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 1-3
2. Maxime Renaux (FRA), Yamaha, 2-2
3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 9-1
4. Ruben Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 3-7
5. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA), GASGAS, 3-2
Standings MXGP 2023 after 4 of 19 rounds
1. Jorge Prado (ESP), GASGAS, 201 points
2. Maxime Renaux (FRA), Yamaha, 184
3. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 175
4. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki, 166
